JASPER – If you missed out in the month of May on applying for an Arkansas elk hunting permit, the door is not closed. You can apply during the Buffalo River Elk Festival at Jasper on Friday, June 28, and Saturday, June 29.

It is different from the online-only process of the regular elk applications. You have to apply in person and fill out a paper form at the festival. Applications can be made at the Senior Center from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Requirements are the same as in the online process. Only Arkansas residents can apply. You must have a current Arkansas hunting license. In case of persons under 16, a hunter education number is required. And you must be present for the drawing of the three permits at 5 p.m. Saturday.

The onsite draw is a separate drawing from the online applicants. Hunters can apply online and also at the festival.

Other features of the Elk Festival are a variety of music, street dancing until 11 p.m. Friday, a talent show, an elk calling contest, fishing derby, Dutch oven cooking contest and a pie contest.

This year’s elk hunting season for 28 permit holders will be Oct. 7-11 and Oct. 28-Nov. 1 on public land. A private land hunt will be Oct. 28-Nov. 1. It will be the 16th year of elk hunting in Arkansas after the game animals were restored beginning in 1981. The limited hunting started in 1998.

Cook’s Lake class to teach canoeing basics for adults

CASSCOE – A three-hour course on Saturday, July 22, will give adults an opportunity to learn the basics of canoeing.

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission class, which is free, will be at the Potlatch Conservation Education Center at Cook’s Lake, near Casscoe which is east of Stuttgart. Beginners will learn how to enter a canoe, how to paddle it and how to maneuver the craft.

Reservations are required. For more information call 870-241-3373 or go to http://www.agfc.com/education/Pages/EducationCenterPotlatch.aspx.

Devil’s Eyebrow is a facility of the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. It was formally dedicated a month ago, and somewhat fittingly, the dedication was on the day of the state’s first May snowfall.

In Benton County on the north side of Beaver Lake, Devil’s Eyebrow covers 1,954 acres and is open to the public. But you will have to walk.

A parking area is reached off U.S. Highway 62 about a half-mile east of Gateway and the intersection with Arkansas Highway 37. A gravel road turns south of the highway and leads to the parking area. From there on, visitors must walk. No cars or trucks, no all-terrain vehicles, no horses and mules can be used by anyone.

Not far south of the parking area, the terrain slopes down steeply and eventually runs to the Indian Creek arm of Beaver Lake. The area has a number of old logging roads that visitors can walk. Features of Devil’s Eyebrow include small creeks, rocky bluffs, waterfalls, a host of unusual and interesting plants and a variety of wildlife. Trimble Mountain, elevation 1,720 feet, is the highest point on Devil’s Eyebrow.

The unusual name of the area stems from a 19th century comment by a local resident, according to a history of Benton County.

"In 1880, when the surveyors were doing their preliminary work on the location of the Frisco Railroad, Archibald 'Uncle Arch' Blansett (one of the pioneer settlers in the area) with other neighbors were greatly interested in the proposed route through their neighborhood. Discussing the route with one of the railroad party, he is credited with saying: 'Build a railroad right through these mountains? You can't do it, man; you can't do it. You might as well try to build a railroad on the Devil's eyebrow as to undertake to build one in such a place.'

"The railroaders were so amused by the remark that from then on it was always known, even in Frisco literature, as the 'Devil's Eyebrow'. The name still sticks."

As an AGFC wildlife management area, Devil’s Eyebrow will be linked with Beaver Lake WMA. Deer and bear hunters are restricted to shotguns or muzzle-loading rifles during the 2013-2014 season. Devil’s Eyebrow may be limited to archery hunting only for deer in the future.

Mark Hutchings, urban wildlife biologist for northwest Arkansas said, “There are deer and turkey on Devil’s Eyebrow, and we’ve been told an occasional bear is seen here.” Squirrel numbers also appear good.

Botanists are interested in Devil’s Eyebrow because it is the only place in Arkansas where the rare black maple tree is found. It is also a popular roosting area in winter for bald eagles.

Devil’s Eyebrow was obtained by the two state agencies through a route that has been successful a number of times in recent decades.

When owners of the land, who had bought it before the downturn in residential development a few decades back, indicated a willingness to sell, The Nature Conservancy of Arkansas stepped forward and bought it until Natural Heritage and Game and Fish could arrange funds for the purchase.

AGFC stocks more than 1.2 million fish during May

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Game and Fish Commission crews stocked more than 1.2 million fish in Arkansas lakes and rivers during May, according to Mark Oliver, chief of the Fisheries Division. The total stocking of fish weighed more than 127,000 pounds.

HOT SPRINGS – The second time proved the charm for retired horse trainer Carlos Nanez. He landed a $500 walleye in the 2013 $60,000 Hot Springs Fishing Challenge.

Nanez’s catch was the eighth prize fish landed so far in the Challenge.

However, it was not the only time he had caught a Fishing Challenge money fish.

Nanez caught a tagged fish last year that would have been worth $1,000. The problem last year was that he landed the prize catch on Sept. 15. The 2012 Fishing Challenge ended on Aug. 31 and Nanez was not able to cash in on his catch.

This year, he hooked the prize walleye fishing off the bank at Entergy Park on Lake Hamilton.

There are still 45 other Challenge cash prize fish in lakes Catherine and Hamilton, including the $10,000 Grand Prize fish known as Big Al II.

This year’s Challenge runs through July 31. The Second Hot Springs Fishing Challenge, which began May 1, provides anglers the opportunity to catch tagged fish that can be redeemed for cash prizes.

Here is how the Fishing Challenge works:

Eligibility: The contest is open to anyone with a valid Arkansas fishing license. Employees of the Hot Springs Advertising and Promotion Commission, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission at the Andrew H. Hulsey Fish Hatchery, and their immediate family members, and/or those living in the same household of each are ineligible to win a cash prize.

How It Works: Fifty-three tagged fish were released in Lake Hamilton and Lake Catherine. The fish are largemouth bass, bluegill, catfish, white bass, crappie and walleye. The tags have a phone number and a prize number on them. If a fish is caught the angler must call the number and present the fish with the tag attached.

No cash prize will be awarded to any participant presenting a tagged fish that has been caught other than during the fishing period. Tags must be presented during the fishing period to be redeemed. All tagged fish must be caught in accordance with all state and local laws, codes, rules and regulations. Rules and regulations can be found at: http://www.agfc.com/fishing/Pages/FishingRegulations.aspx.

No cash prizes will be awarded to any participant who does not comply with state and local laws, codes, rules and regulations.

Publicity Release: Each angler who catches a prize fish grants Visit Hot Springs the rights to use their name, likeness, biographical information, and photographs, without compensation, in any and all media without limitation for advertising and promotional purposes.

General Prize Conditions: Prize winners shall be solely responsible for all federal, state and/or local taxes associated with their prize.